Improvement in fence-posts



Patented Aug. 9, I864 m xv ' at c and h h.

NITED STATES JEROME PALMER, OF PAIN ESVILL E, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT lN FENCE-POSTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 43,791}, dated August9, 1864.

.To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEROME PALMER, of Painesville, in the county of Lakeand State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Method for Securingand Preserving Wood Posts for Fences and other purposes; and I do herebydeclare thatthe following is afull and exact description thereof,reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l isa perspective view exhibiting a wood post secured to an iron sill; Fig.2, an elevation of the same, showing its appearance when bedded in thesoil; Fig. 3, aperspective view of the post, showing the construction ofits lower end; Fig. 4., an elevation of a wood post and iron sillresting on a stone base and its position in the soil; Fig. 5, a plan ofthe sill used therewith; Fig. 6, an elevation of a sill with iron postsadapted thereto.

The letters of reference apply to like parts in all the figures.

The primary object of this invention is an improved method of combininga wood post with an ironsill for fences and other structures in suchmanner as to insure solidity, durability, and cheapness and facility ofmanufacture, and to counteract the premature decay of the wood portionthereof, thereby rendering the post indestructible. As wood in manylocalities is becoming scarce and dear, and iron at no distant day willbe plentiful and cheap, it is believed this arrangement will be deemedof great importance, particularly in the erection of fences.

The following description will show the construction and mode of usingmy invention: A, Fig. 1, is a sill of cast-iron. Its upright partconsists of four cross-braces, B, and a tongue, (I, which, with the shoeD, is cast solid. The said tongue may be shaped as shown, whichrepresents it as slightly tapering upward and of wedge shape. This formis that which I prefer; but it can be formed square and flat orcylindrical, so as to fit corresponding apertures in the post. E is awood post, having its bottom out and formed to fit the tongue 0, and thetop of the braces B, as shown in Fig. 3 The post is secured to the saidsill by the bolts 60 a, passing through its lower end, and throughcorresponding holes in the tongue 0. Another bolt, I), is passed throughabove the last mentioned and through a notch in the upper end of thesaid tongue. The

bolts to (t secure the post firmly to the sill. The other is added toprevent any tendency in the wood to split.

It will be observed that thelong open aperture 0, Fig.3, allows itsinner faces to contract on the tongue 0 in case of shrinkage of thesolid portion above it. insure a tight and firm fit of the post to thesill.

Fig. 2 exhibits the appearance of the before-mentioned post and sillwhen in its place in the ground. The delineation shows the soil andsurface of the ground, the dotted line at 6 indicating the position ofthe bottom of the post above the surface of the ground,

thus keeping it from contact therewith. A glance at the figure will showthat this method cannot but secure all the desirable advantagesattainable through mechanical arrangementthat of solidity, permanency,indestructibility, and the action of frost.

In some localities it may be desirable to employ stone as a base for theiron sill, in which case the sill can be shortened in height and sotrimmed or cut away in the braces and shoe that the weight might beconsiderably lessened This form is shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Instead of stone, blocks of wood, kyanized or made indestructible byother known methods, could be adopted for such bases. Again, should itbe desirable to employ iron or iron and wood for the posts instead ofwood alone, Fig. 6 shows the method of attaching such to the tongue 0,ff being two thin upright bars, of cast or wrought iron, or anornamented front of iron with a back of wood, the rails or lattice-workof wire being received between the said bars and secured by any knownmethod.

It is presumed that my arrangement, as above stated, is a very simpleand eflicient plan for combining wood and iron, or wood, iron, andstone, for the purposes named.

I do not claim broadly the use of an iron sill or base; but I am notaware that a combination of a wood post with an iron sill, oracombination of a wood post with an iron sill and stone base, asdelineated in Figs.2 and 4, have ever been adopted or patio use.

I do not claim the'use of iron, stone, or earthenware bases or shoes asapplied to the support of wood posts to prevent their decay separatelyconsidered, as such have been al- This will always.

ready in use; but I am not aware that such bases have ever beenconstructed and arranged in the manner shown in my invention herein setforth.

What I claim therefore, and desire to secnre by Letters Patent, is p Themanner of combining a wood or other post with an anti-destruotible baseby conconstruoting the upper portion of the base or sideA with the broadand elongated wedgeshaperl tongue G, the said tongue being provided witha notch, or its equivalent, on its upper edge and bolt-holes through itslower

